[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 63 (Thursday, May 19, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   TRIBUTE TO LEONARD MAURICE PEARSON

                                 ______


                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 1994

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding young man, Leonard Maurice Pearson.
  Leonard and his teammates on the Marlboro Boys and Girls Club B 
league championship basketball team, were recently honored by U.S. 
Secretary of Education Richard Riley for their academic and athletic 
achievements.
  In spite of a rigorous basketball practice schedule, each team member 
was required to maintain at least a 3.0 or better grade point average. 
Leonard surpassed the 3.0 minimum, and has a 3.71-grade point average. 
He is currently a student at Walker Mill Middle School, where he 
participates in the Gifted Magnet Program. Additionally, Leonard is a 
member of the national junior honor society. Next fall, he will 
matriculate at the renown St. Albans Boys School at the National 
Cathedral here in Washington.
  This week, all across the country, we are remembering the landmark 
Supreme Court case on May 17, 1954, Brown versus the Board of 
Education, which struck down public school segregation. Leonard Pearson 
is the great-grandson of one of the original plaintiffs, Levi Pearson, 
of Clarendon County, SC. This week's edition of Newsweek magazine 
describes the courageous contributions of Levi Pearson and others in 
the small community of Summerton, as they challenged the status quo of 
injustice, using the U.S. Constitution as their weapon of defense. 
Leonard's grandfather, Ferdinand Pearson, is also cited in the Newsweek 
article as he reflects on the struggle before, during, and after the 
Brown decision.
  As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Federal efforts to achieve 
ethnic diversity in our Nation's public schools, we must also embark 
upon a new era to educate America's children. I trust that we will also 
renew our interest in the need to provide for their academic, social, 
and cultural needs.
  In honoring Leonard and his teammates, Secretary Riley stated, 
``Giving our students the best education in the world is a moral 
imperative and an economic necessity if our Nation is going to continue 
to prosper. I hope you will continue to set high goals for yourself.''
  Mr. Speaker, Leonard Maurice Pearson has already achieved high goals 
and I am sure he will continue to make his family and all of us proud.

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